One of the more difficult players to get a read on this season is Anton Belov. In his first year in North America, the Russian rearguard offered an intriguing mix of ability and error. Should the Edmonton Oilers give him another season to find his way?

By Eye

In a lot of ways, Belov is the classic puck-moving European defenceman, but with a twist: instead of being small and fast he’s big and slow.

Belov’s strengths are many. He’s relatively poised with the puck, with an ability to make the first pass out of the zone, even under pressure (something he improved on over the course of the year). He has a heavy shot, albeit one that wasn’t used frequently enough. In the defensive zone, he has both the frame (6’4”) and the strength (218 pounds) to hold the front of the net. Versatility is also an asset, as Belov was the only Oilers defenceman who seamlessly made the transition from left side to right side and back again.

There are some weaknesses in the mix, too. The most troubling is Belov’s skating; he has heavy feet and at times he can be exposed by speed. The other issue is that at times he loses one-on-one battles it looks like he should win. Some of that’s a speed issue, some of it’s a meanness issue, but at times it looked like Belov just wasn’t prepared for the kind of pressure he was put under by opposition forwards. In a way, that might be a good sign; the game in the KHL is much more passive and a lot of that could potentially clear up now that he has a season of NHL hockey under his belt.

By Number

Anton Belov played regularly with four different partners: Jeff Petry, Justin Schultz, Nick Schultz and Philip Larsen. If we define “regularly” as at least 100 minutes, it’s interesting to compare the performance of those players with Belov to their performance with other partners.

The table which follows shows the Corsi percentage for the Oilers with each of the following pairings on the ice:

Regular Partner

Jeff Petry

Justin Schultz

Nick Schultz

Anton Belov

58.4

49.0

43.4

Martin Marincin

48.1

---

---

Oscar Klefbom

---

44.8

---

Andrew Ference

45.1

42.1

41.4

Nick Schultz

37.1

38.4

---

Justin Schultz

---

---

38.4

Jeff Petry

---

---

37.1

(Philip Larsen was not included, as the only defence partner he spent more than 100 minutes with was Belov and so there was no other regular to contrast with. They were an extremely ineffective pairing, with a total on-ice Corsi rating of 34.7 percent).

The interesting thing here is that the three players who spent significant time with Belov and significant time with others all saw better on-ice shot rates with Belov than they did without him. Some of that may be related to role, but it’s hard to escape the idea that a lot of it has to do with Belov’s utility as a player.

My View

The price point matters, but the Oilers could do much worse than Belov as a No. 6/7 option.

His versatility makes him fantastic for the No. 7 role because he can slide in anywhere without disrupting other pairings. He’s big enough to play with a small puck-mover, he’s a good enough puck-mover to survive with a player whose primary abilities lie elsewhere, and he can play the left or the right side. He’s also a significantly better player than other options Edmonton is likely to deploy in this role.

Additionally, there’s still some upside there. One of the Oilers’ (many) gaffes in recent years was the departure of Jan Hejda, who looked uneven in his first season in North America at around the same age Belov is now; he blossomed when he got a chance in Columbus and became a legitimate top-four shutdown defender.

On the right contract, the Oilers should be very interested in bringing Belov back.

RECENTLY BY JONATHAN WILLIS

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

In a perfect world you don't bring Belov back because you want Marincin/Klefbom in the 6/7 spots. This would require the Oilers picking up 2 defensemen better than those two. Hopefully one top 2 d man to play with Petry and one to slide in on the second or third pairing.

Assuming the Oilers can add a legitimate 1st pairing "D" (hardly a slam dunk) your top six could be:

New Guy(getting picky, hopefully a righty),
Petry,
Schultz,
Ference and
two of (Marincin,Klefbom or Nurse)

Belov makes a decent #7. Mostly because he can play either side and adds some size. With all due respect I don't think you want one of the kids sitting in the pressbox. Send them to the minors (Marincin or Klefbom) or Junior (Nurse). Unless they can pickup a good known quantity on the bottom pairing (a Matt Greene type), I think Belov is the keeper. Larsen is a great skater but a mess in his own zone and Fraser is a tough, game guy but is S-L-O-W. Glacially slow.

I don't think this team can afford to have 3 young'ns playing D next year plus a defensively suspect young pro in Schultz. If MacT fails to find a legitimate top pair guy it is deja vu all over again.

If they somehow manage to get Ekblad, well that throws another wrench into the works. I think you have no choice but to trade one of the young D to reduce the logjam. Which one(s) - that is the question.

With Ekblad you would have four pups knocking on the door, NOT counting Gernat, Musil and Simpson (should he sign). That is too many guys essentially the same age in playing the same position, IMO. At some point you lose them and their value decreases as they stagnate in the minors.

That is a lot of "potential" talent stockpiled in one position AND a luxury that cannot be afforded with so many holes throughout the current sad sack roster.

Assuming the Oilers can add a legitimate 1st pairing "D" (hardly a slam dunk) your top six could be:

New Guy(getting picky, hopefully a righty),
Petry,
Schultz,
Ference and
two of (Marincin,Klefbom or Nurse)

Belov makes a decent #7. Mostly because he can play either side and adds some size. With all due respect I don't think you want one of the kids sitting in the pressbox. Send them to the minors (Marincin or Klefbom) or Junior (Nurse). Unless they can pickup a good known quantity on the bottom pairing (a Matt Greene type), I think Belov is the keeper. Larsen is a great skater but a mess in his own zone and Fraser is a tough, game guy but is S-L-O-W. Glacially slow.

I don't think this team can afford to have 3 young'ns playing D next year plus a defensively suspect young pro in Schultz. If MacT fails to find a legitimate top pair guy it is deja vu all over again.

If they somehow manage to get Ekblad, well that throws another wrench into the works. I think you have no choice but to trade one of the young D to reduce the logjam. Which one(s) - that is the question.

With Ekblad you would have four pups knocking on the door, NOT counting Gernat, Musil and Simpson (should he sign). That is too many guys essentially the same age in playing the same position, IMO. At some point you lose them and their value decreases as they stagnate in the minors.

That is a lot of "potential" talent stockpiled in one position AND a luxury that cannot be afforded with so many holes throughout the current sad sack roster.

I think Marincin has earned a shot at a spot on the team next year. I'd still send Nurse and Klefbom back down until they force MacT's hand. If Ekblad is selected and expected to play in the NHL next season then I wouldn't be surprise to see Petry and Gagner packaged with a pick for either a true top pairing Dman or a really good Center. Likely a Center.

I honestly think Edm should select Leon Draisaitl. Then send Gagner and Petry and a first rounder for a true top pairing Dman. I think that would be a better move as I think Leon could play just as good as Gagner but maybe my hopes are too high.

Either one of these scenerio's would still require MacT to find one more defenseman preferably a top 4. Having Ference and Marincin as a third pairing would be preferable.

I think Marincin has earned a shot at a spot on the team next year. I'd still send Nurse and Klefbom back down until they force MacT's hand. If Ekblad is selected and expected to play in the NHL next season then I wouldn't be surprise to see Petry and Gagner packaged with a pick for either a true top pairing Dman or a really good Center. Likely a Center.

I honestly think Edm should select Leon Draisaitl. Then send Gagner and Petry and a first rounder for a true top pairing Dman. I think that would be a better move as I think Leon could play just as good as Gagner but maybe my hopes are too high.

Either one of these scenerio's would still require MacT to find one more defenseman preferably a top 4. Having Ference and Marincin as a third pairing would be preferable.

I agree. The rather long winded point I was trying to make was that if Ekblad is still around, unless the "braintrust" honestly believe Ekblad is the second coming of Shea Weber, they should take a center. Preferably a center with some size. Draisaitl fits the bill.

If he is gone I am honestly torn between Bennett and Reinhart. I think Reinhart has more vision and will put up better numbers but he is an RNH clone.

Bennett is said to have more sandpaper and two way ability (I have not seen him play) and that is something that is needed despite the fact he is not a monster.

BPA sounds great in principle, but when you have a top six of almost exclusively smallish non-physical players it is difficult to introduce another one. If the Oilers pick third they have a decision to make. If they pick forth they take the guy that is left. There is separation between the top four and the next grouping, IMO.

So Big body but gets beat physically on the boards and around the net. Speed issues in other words he is just plain slow. Has the ability to make a good first pass under pressure, yet frequently under pressure made a bad pass. Sometimes lacked intensity as he gets beat to and for the puck.... Wow. Why would we want to keep him around again? As a 6-7.. sure I guess he's just slightly better then Fraser.

BUT MacT has to pick up at MINIMUM 1 2nd pairing D man. Should be a 1st. But 1 definitive experienced top 4 D. So that gives us

We've all seen what Larsen can do for this team this past season. He's the keeper out of this grey area bunch. Belov, Grebeshkov, Fraser all out. Petry will have surprising trade value inside of 12 months. Can't help but see a fit for Jeff in Philadelphia. Could Gags (half salary retained) and Petry net the Oilers Couturier before the end of next season?

It's difficult to see what these players are capable of, during this fire drill type environment in Edmonton.

If Ekblad and Draisaitl are gone when the Oil pick I think they seriously need to consider trading down. Even if they can turn that pick into a lower 1st and a mid 2nd that would be worth it as they need specific types of players to complete this team.

We've all seen what Larsen can do for this team this past season. He's the keeper out of this grey area bunch. Belov, Grebeshkov, Fraser all out. Petry will have surprising trade value inside of 12 months. Can't help but see a fit for Jeff in Philadelphia. Could Gags (half salary retained) and Petry net the Oilers Couturier before the end of next season?

It's difficult to see what these players are capable of, during this fire drill type environment in Edmonton.

That's a beautiful idea but Couturier will cost even more than what you've suggested.

I really wish the team was not in this terrible situation on D where we face a bunch of young kids coming up, and no vet defenders to stabilize and mentor. That way we could have the patience to see what Belov might turn into. Instead I sense he's out this year and a guy like Matt Green comes in for his spot as 6 or 7.

I would re-sign Belov for sure, and I'm glad I'm not alone in this thinking. He still wasn't great at the end of the year, but he looked like a completely different player than at the start. If he keeps improving at that rate we should have a solid 4/5 defender by the end of next season... especially if we can let Steve Smith go and get an actual NHL caliber assistant coach.

16 Other teams and fans are getting ready for the playoff's, Oiler fans are getting ready for the draft lottery tonight,the draft in June and discussing already who will fill which positions next October,the season just ended, after 8 years of this same garbage you would think that there would be some sort of accountability from the team or a fan revolt, instead we keep hitting the rewind button year after year and we keep getting the same old results .I think someone should check the water in Edmonton and see if Rexall has been secretly putting Kool Aide in it.

If Ekblad and Draisaitl are gone when the Oil pick I think they seriously need to consider trading down. Even if they can turn that pick into a lower 1st and a mid 2nd that would be worth it as they need specific types of players to complete this team.

Respectfully, I could not disagree more. The last thing this organization needs is more "maybes".

This scouting staff has not shown me they are ahead of the curve in identifying talent out of the top tier. Their record for later 1st round picks (granted they have not had a ton of those lately) and 2nd rounders on has been, to be kind, spotty.

The one guy who was a value pick was Eberle, but he basically lived next door to the late great Lorne Davis of Regina, who raved to the Oilers about the kid, prior to his passing.

If they are not sold on Reinhart or Bennett then trade the pick, but package it up for a known quantity 2C or 1D. No more darts for the dartboard, please.

16 Other teams and fans are getting ready for the playoff's, Oiler fans are getting ready for the draft lottery tonight,the draft in June and discussing already who will fill which positions next October,the season just ended, after 8 years of this same garbage you would think that there would be some sort of accountability from the team or a fan revolt, instead we keep hitting the rewind button year after year and we keep getting the same old results .I think someone should check the water in Edmonton and see if Rexall has been secretly putting Kool Aide in it.

OK. Revolt it is. Which street corner are we meeting on? Are you making up the placards or shall I?

Respectfully, I could not disagree more. The last thing this organization needs is more "maybes".

This scouting staff has not shown me they are ahead of the curve in identifying talent out of the top tier. Their record for later 1st round picks (granted they have not had a ton of those lately) and 2nd rounders on has been, to be kind, spotty.

The one guy who was a value pick was Eberle, but he basically lived next door to the late great Lorne Davis of Regina, who raved to the Oilers about the kid, prior to his passing.

If they are not sold on Reinhart or Bennett then trade the pick, but package it up for a known quantity 2C or 1D. No more darts for the dartboard, please.

Misinterpretation, essentially what I meant was that I would rather trade the pick for two other picks rather than draft a player type the team already has loads of. I do agree that it would be better to work out a trade bringing a proven player back but at the draft they my not have the time to make a deal like that. However you could still package those picks, especially if they are 2015 picks, for a player later in the draft or during the off season. This type of move buys them time to make something happen.

On another note, draft lotto day is today. Not that they can really make a bad pick in the top 4, but what happens if they get 1st overall? Do they just take Ekblad and be done with it? Or do they look to trade down? Everyone knows they want Ekblad, soif anyone is willing to trade with them, then it's because that team is taking Ekblad.

On another note, draft lotto day is today. Not that they can really make a bad pick in the top 4, but what happens if they get 1st overall? Do they just take Ekblad and be done with it? Or do they look to trade down? Everyone knows they want Ekblad, soif anyone is willing to trade with them, then it's because that team is taking Ekblad.

I actually think the guy they have circled is the big German. If they get number one it will be curious because I don't think Buffalo wants Ekblad and Florida almost assuredly takes Ekblad as they have Barkov and Huberdeau. So if Edmonton gets #1 again, it becomes a game of chicken with Florida.

MacT to Tallon: "Swap picks and sweeten the pot or we just might take Ekblad". Tallon may bite or tell him to do his worst.

If the order stays the same I think the Oilers get Draisaitl at three. The other way it gets curious is if someone other that the top three wins the draft. The Oilers get the leftovers from the top 4. Might be a good fit. Might not.

We've all seen what Larsen can do for this team this past season. He's the keeper out of this grey area bunch. Belov, Grebeshkov, Fraser all out. Petry will have surprising trade value inside of 12 months. Can't help but see a fit for Jeff in Philadelphia. Could Gags (half salary retained) and Petry net the Oilers Couturier before the end of next season?

It's difficult to see what these players are capable of, during this fire drill type environment in Edmonton.

In the Oilers shoes, I'd much rather bring back Belov than Larsen. Much, much rather.

Assuming the Oilers can add a legitimate 1st pairing "D" (hardly a slam dunk) your top six could be:

New Guy(getting picky, hopefully a righty),
Petry,
Schultz,
Ference and
two of (Marincin,Klefbom or Nurse)

Belov makes a decent #7. Mostly because he can play either side and adds some size. With all due respect I don't think you want one of the kids sitting in the pressbox. Send them to the minors (Marincin or Klefbom) or Junior (Nurse). Unless they can pickup a good known quantity on the bottom pairing (a Matt Greene type), I think Belov is the keeper. Larsen is a great skater but a mess in his own zone and Fraser is a tough, game guy but is S-L-O-W. Glacially slow.

I don't think this team can afford to have 3 young'ns playing D next year plus a defensively suspect young pro in Schultz. If MacT fails to find a legitimate top pair guy it is deja vu all over again.

If they somehow manage to get Ekblad, well that throws another wrench into the works. I think you have no choice but to trade one of the young D to reduce the logjam. Which one(s) - that is the question.

With Ekblad you would have four pups knocking on the door, NOT counting Gernat, Musil and Simpson (should he sign). That is too many guys essentially the same age in playing the same position, IMO. At some point you lose them and their value decreases as they stagnate in the minors.

That is a lot of "potential" talent stockpiled in one position AND a luxury that cannot be afforded with so many holes throughout the current sad sack roster.

We Need BIG, VERY TOUGH MARK FRASER as our 6-7D Man next year!!! Look at the SYSTEMATIC BEAT DOWN he put on HUGE PATRICK MAROON (another guy who should be an Oiler)!!!!

MacT presser year end plan going forward 'blahblahblahblahbladblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah...Same old sh*t

Well I'm at least glad Mac-T isn't as inept as the Calgary Sun readers.

Yeah lets fire the staff again and bring in ANOTHER new coach. Then lets watch our young players totally tune out and want trades.

Eakins has the fundamental game down, now he'll just have to find within himself the fervor of Patrick Roy... and for all those handing Roy the Jack Adams, lets see how the Avalanche fare in the playoffs before we get too carried away

Anton Belov is the new Corey Potter. Big, slow, can move the puck decently, has a heavy shot, loses board battles. The stats guys even liked both of them. I will say that he is a bit more physical than Potter ever was. He brings some decent traits to the #7 D spot but that's about it for me. On a cheap one-year deal, maybe, but our improvement defensively needs to be at the top of the depth chart.

Belov's an intersting Moneypuck move; despite his obvious weaknesses the stats are telling us he makes the players around him better and for cheap. A great 6/7 d-man, if we can keep him around a million that'd be a good deal.

In the Oilers shoes, I'd much rather bring back Belov than Larsen. Much, much rather.

Larsens only issue is he's 3 yrs too early coming to a team like this. On a competitive team he's very much a Greg Hawgood type of player. A great addition if the backbone of your blueline is already in place. That isn't the case here in Edmonton, so I can see why he's being sold short.

I'd wager The Dallas Stars would love to have this kid back, to help as they go up against the Ducks this coming week. A plug and play piece when they have the man advantage.

I like the idea of getting Belov for 1 year. The thing I feel is most attractive about keeping him is that he is already in that window of his apprenticeship where we should know definitively if he is worth keeping by the end of next year. Other then Maricin and Klefbom we cant say the same thing about any of the rest.

I like the addition of Statsny in the 1C position. This would have a huge impact on RNH's effectivness I think. Im not sold on having Bennet in the 3C role though. Gordon didnt score much but was great in the shutdown role and you cant put a rookie in that position. Im not up to speed on Bennet but are scouting reports putting him as ready to jump right into the NHL?

I actually think the guy they have circled is the big German. If they get number one it will be curious because I don't think Buffalo wants Ekblad and Florida almost assuredly takes Ekblad as they have Barkov and Huberdeau. So if Edmonton gets #1 again, it becomes a game of chicken with Florida.

MacT to Tallon: "Swap picks and sweeten the pot or we just might take Ekblad". Tallon may bite or tell him to do his worst.

If the order stays the same I think the Oilers get Draisaitl at three. The other way it gets curious is if someone other that the top three wins the draft. The Oilers get the leftovers from the top 4. Might be a good fit. Might not.

Ya it kind of would feel like the Yakupov year. They were all set to draft Murray, but could not pass on the BPA and let a potential talent like Yak slip away.

This year, however, Ekblad has been ranked number one a few times during the year, so it feels like there's less consensus on who the true number one of the draft is. There is no Mckinnon this year. Plus by not taking Murray, that helped sign Schultz. And finally, put together in the same draft year, I bet Ekblad would be taken before Murray anyway.

So if they do win and end up taking number one, I can't see that as a big let down.

I know all the fans are high on the idea of taking a big European centre with some size, but I just don't see that helping our cause. Other than Mckinnon, can you name one high drafted centre that has made a difference to a team in the last 3 years? Barkov had 23 points and Huberdue had 28. Lindholm had 21 points. Filip Forsburg hardly played, and Gregorenko got demoted. Monahan even wasn't that effective with 34 points and unlimited play time. At 6 foot and 182 Mc David is not a big centre, and other than Seguin and Nuge, he's the only one that seems like a true bonafied super star. Point being, if Bennet or Reihnhart are available when we draft and Ekblad is gone, I would take the skill over the size any day of the week.

Isnt this the mindset that has in the exact situation we are trying to find a way out of right now?
No matter who we pick in June, they SHOULD NOT be on the Oilers next year. Let them wow the crap out of MacT in OKC and force him to find room for them.

The Oilers have roughly $28.5 million in cap space. Somehow you have managed to parlay Gagner and Joensuu into Steve Downie and Tyler Myers (well done, by the way!) Increasing your salary availability to $34 million.

But wait we have to actually pay Myers ($5.5 million) and Downie ($2.65 million)? Oops. Now we only have $25.8 million. No problemo.

Our 7th and 8th D (sitting in the pressbox) are going to cost us close to $4 million with bonuses. So that gives us $21.8 million. Bennett, 4th overall is another $2.5 with bonuses. Alright, we still have over $19 million.

Crap, we have to re-up Schultz and Petry? They are RFA's so we can really beat them up - still going to be $2.5 - 3 million apiece even on a bridge deal. Lets's call it $5.5 total. I am guessing over $6M but let's dream big. So we have $13.5 M left - awesome.

Gaz, here is a million for you. Moss you were making $2.1 we will give you cost of living, you are happy with that right? Call it $2.5 M. Oh we need an extra forward? Ok we will sign a kid. Another million. So let's see ... carry the three ... that leaves us with 9 million bucks.

Mr. Stastny, Mr. Markhov you are highly sought after free agents so we are going to offer you each $4.5 million to sign with the 3rd worst team in the league ....wait, what's that Scott, we need to sign Yak next year ?? .... Ahem, We are prepared to offer you $3 million dollars each ....